ORIGIN

NW Classic Rally 2013 Report: Stages and Sparks

Today was the first full day of competition at the Northwest Classic Rally, and it was filled with some great luck and some less-than-great luck for our team. Along with about half the entrants, we fell into one of the rallymaster’s traps early in the day, but otherwise our times were great and the Mustang was supplying huge grins on the great Oregon roads. Then a sudden change occurred. As we hustled through the second to last timed stage at about 3:30pm, we took a fast 90-degree left and then a 90-degree right and the car shut off entirely at about 50 MPH. Hitting the key while still rolling there was no action, so we let the car coast to a halt.

We were all alone on this slight uphill grade with a drainage ditch on both sides, so we had to block half the 2-lane road. The setting was weirdly idyllic farmland, with flowers everywhere and one huge sprinkler providing the only soundtrack. The navigator said “Battery!’. We hopped out of the car and popped the trunk, where the battery had been relocated for weight balance and for space reasons by the previous owner. Pulling the top of the now loose battery box we found the positive cable end broken off and the cable arcing to the floorboard after obvious wear and movement. UGH!

We came to find out that the cheap-o plastic battery box was held down with flimsy plastic hooks and a cheap plastic buckle, now shattered. Lovely! The cables had also been improperly routed and insulated, and we were lucky that they were not more severely damaged. In classic TSD fashion, every minute or so somebody would stop to ask if we were okay, but our two heroes that personally helped get us out of this mess were the Drive Away Cancer TR4 team and the Saab Sonett team shown below.

With the extra tools and helping hands we had power restored to the battery box and had the cables isolated and secured enough to get us through the 30 miles to the day’s finish line. By finishing, we were able to make some written declarations and save some penalties, so we aren’t totally out of the hunt. We also still had time to search for a local Napa Auto Parts in Silverton, Oregon, and to go sort out a better repair. So while the rest of the finishers were drinking margaritas by the pool, we were crawling under the car in the parking lot. By the end of this circus we had all the store employees surfing BaT and at least ten local diesel pick-up drivers stopped to talk about the car. It certainly took the edge off the disappointment of the situation. We doubt they would have been that nice if we were in the rally Benz or a Porsche 911, but people were freaking out about the BOSS.

We replaced the busted battery terminal, secured the box with a proper metal tie-down, and isolated the leads going through the floorboards. It is not a perfect fix, but we are hopeful that it will get us through tomorrow’s stages. If you use or know of a great hold-down or trunk box for an Optima battery, please leave a link in the comments. We will be purchasing one and revising the wiring and cut-off switch this week.

But back to the fun parts of the event… the start this morning was fantastic and filled with anticpation. It has been very warm in Portland, so the 8am weather was just perfect. Check out the gallery below for more pics of all the cars at the start.

By the lunch stop we had already suffered the traps and shared some great scenery and driving roads. The Allard J2X below has been awesome to watch. Where else are you going to see one of these competing along-side a Citroen and a Duster? The Allards low number is based on finishing position last year, so you know this guy is a contender.

At each stage finish, the cars arrive at the (hopefully) proper interval and get ready for the next departure. Having some time in between, our view in the side mirror often looked like this as the 911SC and Jag E-type roadster came up behind. You get to know the cars around you and their habits very well.

Here is another lunch shot. Healey, Peerless, TR3, 300SL, 356, BOSS 302…. it is how we wish every parking lot would look.

Overall we had a great drive today. We were on time for dinner, are safe in the hotel, and have a car ready for action tomorrow with an exhaust notes that reminds us of Trans-Am racing. That is plenty to be thankful for. Will we be taking home a class trophy? Definitely not, but tomorrow will be a great day anyway. We love this event. Hats off to our dinner-mates who stopped to help us on the road today!

The quote, “We insulated the leads where they go through the trunk” gave me pause.

The proper way to route the positive cable from the solenoid in the engine bay to the battery in the rear is from the solenoid down the front frame rail through behind the passenger kick panel. Then remove the rocker scuff plate. There is a channel for electrical cable under it. Run the cable down the channel then behind the rear seat trim in the cavity under the quarter window. There is an opening in the back of the cavity that leads over the rear wheel well to the trunk right where the battery is located. No need to run the cable outside the car where it could get damaged and cause a short.

John M. It’s actually a ’64 Impala and is my first car. And yes, a bit exciting on the twists…..one must master the art of weight transfer to preserve one’s life! I think I easily one the “longest car” award. It was a fantastic outing with my 15 year old son doing the navigation.

Too bad about the battery, but at least the hard short didn’t start a fire. I never had a problem with marine battery boxes when I was racing, but I could have fabbed up one real quick if you had been in my neck of the woods.

Some beautiful cars there, and some not so beautiful, but at least Duster can be pretty competitive with the LA small block. I’m in love with that Allard J2X…

Of course, the Monte Shelton Northwest Classic has been won in a Sonett II V4… driven by “Crash” Comic and Bjorn Ozzie—Crash and Bjorn, of the Comic-Ozzie Rally Team! (I have to thank Tim Winker for those mythical heroes!)

That’s my @Drive Away Cancer Iowa boys!!! Great job guys. Sometimes helping someone out is more important than a great time, which they were maintaining nicely, but did not hesitate to relinquish to help out. So very Proud. Thanks Mike Balch for the nice note about John and Cody. I am so proud to be a part of such a great group.

BaT guys are awesome! I love the website and the vision brought forth for such great cars! Keep it up guys and pay it forward! That’s what Drive Away Cancer is all about!!! Good luck to all of you tomorrow…

The original battery tray that was in the front of the Mustang can be removed and remounted in the back, right corner of the trunk.

The bracket that comes off the bottom of the tray at an angle can be fished down into the pocket between the outside quarter panel and trunk floor. It then can be bolted through the inner quarter panel skin. The flat bottom of the tray can be bolted through the floor of the trunk. Then the battery can be secured to the tray using the stock hold downs.

The end result is a very secure battery that is as far back and to the right as possible. The spare tire will still fit in it’s original position but it will need a slightly longer hold down as it will be very slightly to the left of it’s original location.

@Bud. Yes! The factory will spend millions on engineering and then a really great improvement kills it. In desert racing wiring and plumbing problems are without a doubt the biggest issues. Just changing the location of one zip tie when rebuilding the vehicle can result in a huge time loss. Attention to detail and the ability to understand all the forces at work on a vehicle are priceless. Unfortunately I posses none of the attributes.

Been there. Done that. Ouch, I really MISS IT!!!! Really enjoyed the snaps. Would love a site that tells us about each and every car. There are a lot of jewels running up there and it looks more like “great driving instead of how much can you spend to impress”.

Thanks for all the images. Now I will clean up my drool. A wonderful reminder that I really need to get out more. JR

Now I see why those tech inspectors were so mean about battery hold-downs! :)

Hang in there, guys. Remember that it’s not about winning; it’s about knowing your readers would kill to take your place, no matter how you finish!

(Especially in the Northwest Classic, probably the most enjoyable vintage rally in the country. And it’s a real TSD rally, a rarity these days. I love it when vintage drivers say, “We don’t really care about the competition, we’re just here for the drive!” and then elbow each other out of the way in the mad rush to see the nightly scores.”

I had one of those battery boxes do the same thing in a ski boat years ago — it was pretty sketchy fixing that one in the middle of the lake. The Sonett owner feels your pain about trunk mounted batteries…….

Mine is in the engine bay though, so no need to cover the terminals. You could mount this to the trunk floor, then use a simple plastic cover over the battery. It’s a solid mount (this type, I can’t speak to this particular one but it’s the same basic design), so once you have everything secured you won’t have to worry about any movement. Good luck with the rest of the rally!

Sure glad the battery incident didnt turn ugly! Second the opinion on the Moroso unit – hard to go wrong with their products. Certainly the ‘Hero Award’ must go to those driving the tagged, orange 67 Corvette race car! How cool…

For the battery box I have tried several over the last 50+ years and found the Moroso box the best. You can get them from Pegasus, Jegs, Summit, Speedway, just about any of the race car/hot rod” purveyors of fine parts” ;o) We have used it in both our race cars for over ten years including one major 120+mph rollover incident in the Lotus Cortina last year. Absolutely no damage to the box or battery. In my opinion, the best you can buy at any price.

If you had zeroed the stages you would have a trophy but now you have something far, far better…a story! In the world of cars it is all about the stories and how well they are told. You told this one very well. I hope you are having all the fun you expected; we, the readers, sure are!

Curious what the Rallymasters ‘trap’ was? I have never done well in any rally, a combination of the driver (me) going too fast and the navigator (wife) spacing out between rally directions. Not a good recipe for a happy marriage but some how we are still together after 43 years.

PS. I would have towed the BOSS too, a car like that is no fun on long freeway runs, even worse when hot.

One of BAT’s guardian angels, the green TR4, is the Drive Away Cancer car from Iowa. Drive Away Cancer is a grass-roots effort to support and give hope to those stricken with cancer. Many children are given rides in “Johnny” the old TR4 as part of the outreach. Hundreds of cancer patients, survivors, or friends of those lost to cancer have incribed their names across the paintwork of the TR4.